Painful Shadow
by BleachReader
Summary: A child is chucked into the worst possible senario a child to be in. With the help of a questionable other, will she make it? Rated K , but rating will go up. RenRuki in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is all set post Winter War. Though this may not seem like a Bleach fan-fic yet, just wait for it. **

I blinked, the blinding light of the sun making my eyes water after having my lids be shut for so long. I didn't know how I got here. I didn't remember anything. My first memory was opening my eyes to this place, yet I have a great tome of knowledge in my mind. I knew much, but I knew almost nothing about myself. I then noticed a slight trickle of water of to my right, opening into a pool. From my vantage point, I saw the trees reflected in the tranquil water, and decided to see myself. So I stumbled over fallen branches, and my breath hitched in my throat as I saw my reflection.

My hair was a shocking white. Not a light grey, a white purer than freshly fallen snow. And then there were my eyes. Pure, crystal clear, blue. Shockingly blue. The color of the sky, with three hundred times the intensity of color. The rest of my face was what I thought to be normal. My nose was a small and pointy protrusion of my otherwise relatively flat face. My lips were a bit on the thick side, and their color was nothing remarkable. I was neither thin or fat, and my height was a bit on the tall side.

After staring at my reflection for a while, I decided to go and feed myself, due to my loudly growling stomach. I sensed the presence of a large group of coagulated beings nearby and decided to head in that direction.

After a hour long walk of small shuffled streps, I reached a bustling town, full of shouts from adults. There were no sounds of children. Even with no real life experience, I know enough to know it is odd for there to be no sounds of younglings. Peeking from the cover the undergrowth, I see a bunch of drunk, maimed, and just plain insane adults running around. There are few females, but there are even fewer children. From what I can see, I was the only one. I knew that some adults could be mean and cruel when intoxicated, and sometimes even when sober, but I was starting to feel my stomach eating itself. So, with a deep breath, I walked out from the forest.

**Oh and I know this is kind of short… I'll try and make it up in the next chapter! IF YOU DON'T WANT EXTRA INFORMATION DON'T READ THE BELOW ITALICIZED PASSAGE!**

_Yes, the person in this is an OC. This is in Rukongai._


	2. Food, Glorious Food

Things did not go well. When I first made my appearance in this district, I was looking around for a _mother_, or just a parental figure, of which I knew at least one had to exist, or else the term/s would not have existed. I was not able to find such a creature. Yes, I call parents creatures for though I know them to exist - I have no reason to think my knowledge is flawed - I have not yet met any such exotic adult that actually cares for children. Care. That is another word which I know the meaning of, yet have not associated with my life in any way.

I have been here, in a district below #78, in Rukongai for two months. I feel more seasoned in the way of battle than any veteran in any army. I have to be. When you are a child in a district as rough as this, you die within the first week. No exception. I was told this by an angry salesman as he chased me away from his wares. I have no reason to doubt this information, due to the fact that I am half-dead myself. I know, also, that starvation is not helping me, either.

The fact is, in this district, there is no food. No one here needs to eat, except the shinigami. And me. I need to eat. I have started to take desperate measures to avoid complete starvation. For instance, just yesterday, I re-entered the forest I had left two months before, and ate leaves off a tree. However, I think that was the wrong choice to make, due to the fact that I now have a slight stomachache, and I cannot afford to get sick. On the bright side, that slight mishap with the world of nature _does_ mean that my hunger is a tad less furious then before I ate the leaves. Only a _small _amount, though. I am still ravenous enough to eat the entire population of this district. I have found the gate to this district, and have tried to pass through, but was blocked. This venture had taken precious time off trying to sustain my growing hunger, though it did provide me with information. Useless information, as it has nothing to do with food and survival, but information nonetheless. On a rotten wood log embedded in front of the gate, there were the words "93rd District of Rukongai, District of Pain". Truly morbid. I hit a true strike of luck, however, when I was returning to the market, which was my usual, erm, _hangout_.

So, I was scuttling along in the shadows, trying _not_ to look like an animal _nor_ a child, since both would receive serious torture, when I passed a drinking den. Outside were a group of drunk shinigami. Most surprisingly, they had not yet passed out from alcohol consumption! This is the lucky part. One of the shinigami noticed me, and threw an old, squishy rotten tomato. Obviously, the shinigami were expecting it to splatter all over me. So did I, in fact. I stayed still, because I could always lick off the juice. I simply closed my eyes and waited for the impact. I never came, and I felt a cold, smooth, squishy sphere in my hand. I opened my eyes cautiously, quickly checking for danger, before I drew my gaze to the red fruit in my hands. It was the tomato. Completely and totally unharmed. Before the shinigami could take it away, I was already _long_ gone.

I had an _entire_ **_tomato_**. I knew that this could mean the difference between life and death. I'd only been here for three weeks then, but I didn't know anything else. That tomato has been what's kept me alive until now. And last night, I ate the rest of it.

So here I am, heading to the market, hoping to find some scraps to filch. A shrieking sound trembles through the air around me, and I turn to see a massive, black cloaked, and white masked monster staring down at me.

**This one's just to set the stage for the next chapter. And yes, my OC is a child in the ****_93rd _****district. I do realize that she might be just a ****_bit_**** OP, but still. Making characters be awesome is what I like to do. In the next chapter, the rating will probably go up to M due to violence. **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. White and Black

**There is a very small amount of violence in this chapter, but there is some swearing at the end. Not much, though.**

**I just realized, I COMPLETELY forgot to add a disclaimer. Oops…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach (the anime, not the product).**

My first impression when I looked upon this creature was fear. I mean, really, who looks at a giant monstrous beast wadding through a pillaged and consuming people and doesn't feel fear? This feeling only increased as the monster stomped closer towards me, yet my legs would not run. After an eternity of agonizing fear the afore mention monster stopped three meters from me. I could feel its gaze on me, bearing me down. After minutes of the creature simply looking at me, I risked a glance upwards.

The creature didn't seem hostile. It actually seemed quite a bit friendly, like a dog waiting for a human to pet it. My fear dissipated because of this attitude. While I did have a great library in my small skull, I still behaved like a child. So I did what any friendly child did when meeting a non-hostile stranger. I smiled. And waved. And exclaimed, rather loudly, "Hi!".

The creature's hand came down, and just for fun, I jumped onto it. The hand unexpectedly lifted, but since I lacked a fear of heights, it did not terrify me. When the hand I stood on reached the creature's white mask, I leaned out of the hand and patted its head. The creature stiffened when I did this, yet after about a minute of patting, settled down. The creature then settled me on its shoulder, and went on its way.

By the time two years had passed, I had seen my placid companion kill over eight hundred souls. Some times the hands that reached up to check if I was still safely on his (I think he was a he) shoulder was stained with red, but still I felt no fear. The souls he devoured where all in the 90s districts, and I despised those adults. None had shown me any compassion. The creature was the first thing that had shown me any kindness at all. So I sat on my friend's shoulder as he reaped destruction to Rukongai's worst districts. I sat there peacefully until _they_ came. The shinigami. Apparently, the mass destruction of souls had alarmed them, and they sent out a shinigami to investigate.

I saw the shinigami from afar, and the way I could feel its attention focused on my companion and me made me wary. So, I patted my cloaked counterpart, and pointed in the direction of the shinigami. My friend only cocked its head and gestured to the shinigami it was currently devouring. The approaching shinigami had a… larger, for lack of a better word, presence than the shinigami we had encountered so far. I shook my head and urgently pointed my finger in the opposite direction than the approaching shinigami. My black friend refused, and opened its mouth in the direction of the approaching threat. Out came a laser beam in all its red glory. The shinigami deflected the attack with a slightly panicked expression. I smile cruelly. It is so satisfying for those shinigami to feel the fear of being hunted. Revenge is so sweet.

_Flashback_

_I prowled through the streets, looking for rich pickings, when I heard the laughter of intoxicated men. I spun around, fear coursing through my veins. Drunks see something like me, and they cannot let me walk away unbruised. So, naturally, I ran. I heard pounding feet behind me, and risked a glance over my shoulder. This glance told me they were not drunk _men_. They were drunk _shinigami_. With shinigami, they like to break a few bones. I have seen it happen. With the pack of rabid shinigami on my heels, I fled to the forest. I almost never come to the forest. Shinigami often prowl there. While they are sober shinigami, it is still best to stay away. I still have scars from when I tried to beg for food, and also from when I tried to steal some. I hoped that the shinigami would lose me here, but no such luck. They surrounded me, though who they had gotten in front of me I was uncertain. The buffets, and drunkest, of the group stepped forward. "Well, what do we have here?" he drawled. That's when the fist punch came. _

_At first, I tried to avoid the bombardment of fists, stick, stones, and eventually swords, but as I grew increasingly wounded, I simply curled up on the ground, defending my neck, head, legs (to run away) and hands (when you are a thief, you cannot have maimed hands). At long last, the shinigami left, and I was left bleeding over the forest floor. My thoughts were sharp as I vowed to repay what was given to any shinigami that fell into my clutch_

_End of Flashback_

Yet my moment of happiness was ruined as, with a great shout, the shinigami sprinted up to my friend and sliced his mask in half. That's when the creature started to dissipate into the air, and the last thing he did was pat me on the head.

This meant that I was free-falling towards the ground. The shinigami rushed, with her sword extended, to finish me off. I had spent two months in Rukongai, and three months on my friend's shoulder, just to die by a shinigami's blade? I would not let such a thing happen.

**Just open a Garaganta**,a voice in my head whispered. I sighed in relief. This voice was what had taught me in becoming the, if I do say so myself, best thief in all of Rukongai. Yet, I have no idea what to make of this advice.

_What is a Garganta?_ I asked mentally.

**I'll explain to you later. Just bring up an image of a white desert under a night sky**, the voice said. The shinigami was fast approaching and I had no time to waste. I imagined a white dessert under a night sky, and fell into a black mouth that opened below me, the shinigami hot on my heels.

_Elsewhere_

**_(A/N This next passage has serious swearwords. Just so you know.)_**

Grimmjow Jaggerjacks, ex-espada, stiffened as he sensed the reiatsu of a shinigami. There was another reiatsu, too, but it was so small he didn't care about it. It was just he was so damn bored by doing the same fucking thing each DAY! He was _not _about to let his playmate get away from him.

"I'm gonna go play with that shinigami that showed up!" he announced to his green teared companion, who simply took another sip from his tea and paid the kitty no heed. Grimmjow, wanting a reaction and not getting one, growled angrily, snapping, "Fuck you, Ulquiorra!"

Ulquiorra simply continued reading the book he had found in Aizen's chambers. He had grown used to Grimmjow's foul mouth, yet he still needled him about it. "Why such words, trash?" he asked calmly, flipping a page of his book.

Grimmjow fumed. He was so itchy, filled with a bloodlust. Yet that asshole Ulquiorra just WOULDN'T. GIVE. HIM. THE. DAMN. FIGHT!

So, grumbling about green bats who ran away from every fight, Grimmjow sonidoed to the spot where he had sensed the shinigami.

When he finally got there, he was greeted by the sight of a black-clad woman hugging a white haired child. She seemed to sense his reiatsu, since she looked up coldly and declared, "Grimmjow Jaggerjaques. Ichigo has told me all about you, but this is the first time that you and I have come face to face. You shall not get away unharmed."

Grimmjow only smiled, and the two drew their swords. Or at least, Grimmjow reached for the sword that wasn't there. Shocked, he looked around, only to find the child— who looked to be about ten — was holding easily at her side. He then looked back at the shinigami in front of him, thinking he would just take her out with hakuda, when the child asked innocently, "Rukia, would this be one of the so-called Espada?" Her smile was so innocent, yet it wasn't fooling anyone.

Rukia? That name sounded familiar… "Yes, he is. He's the sixth most powerful, though at least this time I won't have to be fighting my dead fukutaicho," were "Rukia's" words.

Grimmjow's eyes widened as he realized who stood before him. Then, a grin adorned his face as fighting the one who brought down Strawberry Smoothie would be enjoyable.

He crumpled, seeing the girl, with one raised fist, standing above him and waving goodbye. _Damn her_, he thought. After that, it was just darkness.

**All will be revealed in time, do not fear. **

**Strawberry Smoothie = the ninth espada. I forgot what his name was, so I made Grimmjow call him a nickname… **

**Please, ****_please_****, review and tell me a name for my OC. I know, it's kinda weird that I haven't done that yet, but… Just please help me!**

**If you have any suggestions about where you think the story should head, please review!**


	4. Tricks

**This chapter starts a little bit before Grimmjow comes along. **

**Rukia, Renji, and the others have the powers they got training with the zero division, just there aren't any Quincys attacking.**

(OC POV)

I looked out in the dessert that I had landed in, noting the crystalline trees and shrubs, before I heard movement behind me.

I snapped around, my eyes quickly scanning the area before landing on the black-haired shinigami before me.

The weirdest thing was she didn't seem to want to hurt me. Two months in the 93rd I district requires a kid to get pretty good at sensing other peoples moods. The female shinigami looked like she just wanted to relax on the ground. I did not, however. I stood there, on edge, and jumped when I heard a voice coming from the shinigami.

"What's your name?" she asked. Her voice was kind, yet it had the steel of those who had gone through serious battles.

"I..don't…w-want…to tell…you," I stuttered. Come to think of it, that was the first time I talked. I knew how to, but theory is very different from practice. I didn't really care much about names, though. When the only companion you ever had couldn't talk, it didn't really matter. I decided to think about it though.

Gaining confidence, I posed a question of my own. "What is _your_ name, shinigami?" I said _shinigami _with spite, something that was not lost of the person before me.

"Kuchiki Rukia," she responded. The way she said _Kuchiki_ made me think that was an important name, but I didn't really care. That was the end of our brief conversation, and we simply sat (in my case, crouched) staring at each other silently.

Suddenly, not breaking eye contact, Rukia started to talk to me. About the life of a soul reaper. About the rankings in the squads. About why they killed hollows, and the different rankings of hollows. Lastly, she told me about Aizen and the Winter War. I learned about the Espada, how they ate others just to further their own means. What confused me, though was what she called my (now dead) friend. She said he had consumed countless creatures in his home world, which was were we were now, but she also said that he probably wanted to eat me, as well.

After that long lesson on the shinigami, she turned the focus of the conversation towards me. I still didn't trust her very much, thinking that she probably wanted something from me. The first questions she asked were simple. What district did I come from, what was my life like, was I hungry, ext. The questions she asked after that confused me, though. There were ones like how many hollows did I usually meet, what was my companion (who was apparently a menos grande) like, and what was the state of the shinigami posted in my district. The last question stumped me. Should I be frank or portray the shinigami in a better light? I went with the 'frank' option and said, "The shinigami in my district are useless pieces of drunk shit that go around treating us commoners like crap and enjoy beating kids."

I think Rukia was a bit surprised with my frankness, but hey, she was the one that asked. What surprised me even more than the fact that she wasn't killing me was when she grinned. "Wow, the world must be pretty rough in the 93rd if a kid swears at the age of ten. I'm not surprised that the shinigami in your district are, as you put it, useless pieces of drunk shit. I'm actually kinda surprised that there are even shinigami there at all. How did you survive, anyway? I survived, but that was mostly due to the fact that I had my four friends and that I was in the 78th, not the 93rd," she said, half talking to me and half talking to herself. She looked thoughtful for a moment before piping up again. "Oi, you wanna come back to my house? There's plenty of food, you can stay there, and the shinigami will probably not try to kill you. Some might laugh at you, but that's just the way things are."

My mind was pretty blank after the sentence "There's plenty of food". Starvation had been so familiar to me that I expected the feeling of gnawing hunger. She was offering food, though… Even if she did want to kill me, I would go along anyways, eat my fill, and then bolt.

"Hey, mind telling me your name now?" she asked. I had thought of something that I liked, and if I wanted to be called by it, I might as well start with Rukia. "My name is Chūkū (中空)" Rukia cocked her eyebrow at my name, but didn't comment.

"Rukia, in response to your previous comment, I would love to go to your house as long as you uphold your promise of food. Also, thanks," I said. Then, unexpectedly by both of us, I hugged her. That was when the blue haired dude came.

I saw Rukia go all stiff and formal, and couldn't resist the temptation to play with the blue dude's sword. So, while Rukia was talking, I snuck up to him and unsheathed his sword. I then snuck back to Rukia, both of them obvious. It was _really_ amusing to see surprise cross his face when he tried to draw the sword I held in my hands. By the way he resettled into a fighting crouch, he was just going to fight Rukia bare handed. "Rukia, would this be one of the so-called Espada?" I asked innocently, for some random reason that I don't really know.

To test my theory that no one notices small children anymore, I snuck behind the dude and raised a fist. Rukia noticed me, and gave me a miniature smile. I then punched the dude in the head, and he crumpled, giving me an extremely nasty look before blacking out.

I turned to Rukia, and as if reading my mind, she said, "Let's go get some food, Chūkū." I grinned at her, still holding what's-his-name's sword.

_In Seretei_

Rukia told me on the run her that we're going to her brother's house, and she also said that he was a little bit stuck up when it came to Rukongai. She also said that before I could eat I should shower, since her brother would be eating with us. He would ignore me even if I _did _look nice.

That was how I found myself in a shower, shampooing my white hair and scrubbing my pale skin. It felt _really_ good to be clean. When I got out of my shower, I ignored my pile of muddy clothes and walked over to the closet. In it I found a bunch of weird dress things. I sighed.

I didn't want to wear my old clothes, I do have _some_ regard for my personal hygiene. Then I heard a brisk knocking on my door, and, wrapping myself in a towel, I went to open it. In the doorway I found a maid, who upon sight of me, curtsied and said, "Does miss Chūkū require assistance in dressing?" Swallowing my pride, of which I had very little, I let her in.

While she was dressing me, I asked her what her name was, and she looked shocked. Like servants weren't expected to be spoken to. I'm lower class than her anyway. She might as well know that. "Uh, you do know that in rank I'm probably lower than you? You're a servant in a noble house, and I'm just Rukongai scum," I said. The maid looked at me, surprised. "Here in the Seretei, rankings are mostly bassed on the amount of reiatsu you have. There are also nobles, but generally, the more reiatsu you have, the higher your ranking. You have more reiatsu than me, so you have higher ranking. There, all done now, miss Chūkū," she responded, and spun me around to face the mirror.

The person in the mirror did not look like me. My white hair gleamed like freshly fallen snow, and my pale skin glowed softly in the lamplight. The pale blue dress I wore matched my eyes, and fit my slim figure. I really _did_ look like a miss.

"Thanks," I said. The maid only smiled and exited the room, opening the door to permit Rukia. Rukia was still wearing her shinigami uniform, though it looked like it was clean.

"Chūkū, are you ready to meet my brother?" she asked. I nodded once, signifying that we should go. After a moments hesitation, I slid the blue sword from the blue dude into my belt (A/N I don't know the names of the Japanese dress or all its parts, sorry). Rukia raised her eyebrow at my antics, but her comfortable and easy expression was wiped clean when we stepped out her door. Her back straightened, her face became emotionless, and her walk became more of a stiff march.

I tailed a step behind her, knowing that walking in step with her would probably be considered _really _rude. When we finally reached the dinning hall — or whatever the name of the room was — that was emitting the glorious smells, I nearly gasped.

I don't gasp very much. What with knowing a lot about the world, nothing surprises me too much. _Knowing _what actual food looks like is a lot different than having it right in front of you. Another cause for the near gasp was the amount of people in the room. Not to mention the fact that their _presence_ filled the room with a very electric feeling, only intensified by the looks that were shooting around the room.

Rukia steered me through the mess of chatting people to a table laden with food. She tossed a plate at me, which was soon followed by utensils, which I caught with some difficulty. Rukia then led me through the maze of people, some of which noticed me and muttered strange things about my appearance, to the glorious table laden with food.

Rukia grinned at my expression of longing, the told me, "Help yourself."

She really shouldn't have said that. I first attacked the rice, managing to eat the whole bowl that was on the table in a matter of minutes, before moving on to the more substantial foods, such as the beef and veggies. I ate _everything_ on that table except for the plates and other inedible things (including pork).

I simply ate, and ate, and then ate some more.

(Rukia)

I looked at the small kid (Chūkū, I think she called herself), while she gorged herself. That child had an appetite similar to Yourichi! She must have been hungry, though. From what I could get from her, she was actually _starving_ to death. That's pretty hard to do, even if you have a lot of reiatsu and get hungry. Sure, she and Renji were pretty hungry, but they didn't _starve._ Even Kenpachi didn't starve, and he was the only Rukongaien who had that much spiritual energy.

A flash of red hair showed me who was about to talk before he actually did. "What's up, Renji?" I asked.

Renji scowled at me, then turned his gaze to Chūkū, and growled at me, "Who's her dad?"

I flushed when he said this. Of course, he assumed that Chūkū was my daughter. "Chūkū is just a kid I found in Rukongai." I said. Renji cocked an eyebrow at me, and then we both turned and bowed as a familiar presence approached us.

"Ni-sama," I said, straightening from my bow. Before Renji and I stood none other than my brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, captain of the sixth division. Much to my surprise he cocked an eyebrow at me and asked in a dry voice, "Who is the child?"

I bowed again and said, "She called herself Chūkū, Ni-sama. She was a child I found in the 93rd district of Rukongai sitting on a menos grande's shoulder. Her spiritual power is remarkable, and she said she was starving to death. She also managed to steal the blade of Grimmjow Jaggerjacks without his noticing, and when I was ready to _kill_ Grimmjow, she once again snuck up to him and this time hit him on the head, effectively knocking him out. If you allow it, I would like to keep her with me. And," I looked up, _really_ hoping that Ni-sama was going to accept my request, "in time, can she also be adopted as a Kuchiki?"

I could tell that Renji was dazed at my recounting of Chūkū's exploits, when my brother simple stood and cooly considered my offer. "In time, we shall see," he said.

I nearly jumped up and down in excitement. That was pretty much the same as saying yes. When I turned around to tell Chūkū the great news, I didn't see her. I then spun back around to see her talking with my brother. I was _very _surprised to see that they seemed to be having a pretty civil conversation. My brother actually seemed _interested_ in what Chūkū wanted to say. Stepping closer, I realized they were talking about the Gotei 13. Chūkū was saying that I had told her about the basics, but before I could elaborate, we were interrupted, and if "Kuchiki-sama" (she actually said that with a bow) would care to tell her who were in positions of power.

What was more surprising was that he actually did. By the end of the "party", Chūkū knew the name and appearance of each of the captains. I just stood there in awe, joined by Renji.

Chūkū, after a lengthly conversation with Kyoraku taicho about the good and bad things about being drunk, spotted me, skipped over to me, and shouted an exited, "Hi Rukia!"

I only smiled and put my hand on her shoulder, saying as I did so, "You're really something, Chūkū"

**I'm really sorry it took me so long to update… I was running out of ideas and schoolwork was getting in the way… **

**On a good note, I already have the next couple of chapters planned, so those should get out quickly! **

**I actually got Chūkū's name from google translate, and apparently the translation is Hollow, Air, so I thought it was fitting. **


	5. Invasion

**Thanks to everyone that has read this story so far! I didn't actually expect anyone to read this, so again, thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach (the anime not the product).**

(OC)

Rukia's brother was really nice. He was cold, sure, but he was civil. Apparently, there were captains and vice captains, and then seats all the way down to the twentieth seat. And then there were unseated officers. In thirteen squads. It was so confusing, but it seemed to make perfect sense to him.

I thought all theses things over as I lay on my soft mattress in the room that Rukia had showed me to. I know I should have run away, but laying there on the _really_ soft mattress was pure bliss. I hadn't ever slept on a mattress before. I know what was is, of course, but _knowing_ and _doing_ are two completely different things. I felt so warm when Rukia said I was really something. I don't know why. I mean, Rukia was nice, but actually _liking _was still a pretty foreign concept to me. The closest I had ever gotten to _liking_ someone was liking my frie- the menos grande. And that was more _relief that I wasn't dead yet_. But, strangely enough, I wanted to hear Rukia say that again. With that in my mind, I drifted off into a deep, undisturbed sleep.

_—_

Light was only barely streaming through the open windows, accompanied by the measly chirping of birds, when I woke up.

Outside, the pounding of feet on the wooden corridors was clearly audible. I was just debating leaving room when the maid from yesterday rushed in. Clearly, she was in a hurry. She quickly dressed me in a rain-cloud like grey kimono, and then rushed right back out, not once meeting my eyes. I just stood there a bit dazed, until Rukia burst in. Her disheveled appearance, and the fact that her sword was by her side and dripping blood, told me that there was an attack going on.

Rukia rushed up to me, and then kneeled in front of me to look in my eyes. I found my voice, and before she could say anything, I asked, "What's going on?" Rukia answered, pretty franticly, "Hollows are attacking Seretei. I need you to come with me. I can keep you from getting killed, but I hope you don't mind to see people bleed all over the place and see others get killed."

I didn't miss a beat as I nodded to her. She grabbed my wrist, and in an explosion of speed, we were out in the hallway. To my right, a maid was being ripped in half by a snake-like creature that then flung her into his mouth, only to be cut in half by Rukia's sword. On the left, a read haired shinigami that I had seen talking to Rukia at the party cut a Hollow in half before catching the manservant that had been in his clutches.

"Rukia, what's going on?" he shouted. Rukia looked over at him while blindly taking out a couple of Hollows, and responded, "Hollows are attacking seretei! About ten thousand normal Hollows, five thousand menos grande, two thousand Gillian, and twenty Vasto Lorde!"

I didn't completely understand those names, but I knew that 17,020 Hollows was _not _a good thing.

The red haired soul reaper sprouted a list of cuss words that I hadn't heard before, and I hear a lot of swear words in Rukongai.

"Were are you going right now?" the pineapple asked. Rukia said in return, while taking out thee more Hollows, "I'm taking Chūkū to the shelter."

Pineapple's eyes widened a bit, but he continued, "That isn't much protection."

Just then, Rukia was battered to the side by a huge hollow. Pineapple shouted, "Howl, Zabimaru!" and his sword was suddenly a serrated weirdly-shaped one. It snaked out and cut the huge hollow's mask, efficiently vaporizing it. Rukia propped herself up with her sword and seemed not to notice the blood pouring out of a gash in her forehead. "I was going to give her an adjuchas so she can at least defend herself," she told Pineapple. She then turned to talk to me, "Do you mind if I drop you of in a shelter? If you want, I'll give you a sword to protect yourself. Just a warning, though; the sword will probably make you into a soul reaper."

I just nodded. I wanted to stay with Rukia, but I would probably only be a hindrance any way.

So of we rushed, the three of us, through the wooden hallways slick with blood. Every now and then, we would pause as either Rukia or Pineapple — who had introduced himself as Renji — stopped to take care of a hollow. We finally made it to a room filled with identical swords, one of which Rukia threw to me. We then continued on our journey to a destination unknown to me.

Instead of putting my sword in my obi, I simply unsheathed it and held my sheath in my left hand while my right hand held my unsheathed sword. On the way to wherever we were going, Rukia taught me the basics of using a sword. I even took down a couple of low-level hollows. Rukia also taught me how to judge a person's, or hollow's, power with reading their presence. Apparently their presence was actually their spiritual pressure.

After about half an hour of running, though it felt much longer, we appeared in front of a metal trapdoor. Rukia hesitantly opened it, peering around for some unknown being/s. Seeing none, she led the way in.

Inside there was a small room, with some food in the corner, as well as some water. There was also one pillow and some blankets.

Rukia turned around, and let me slide past her, before saying, "I know it isn't much, but just stay here before either Renji or I comes to get you, ok?"

I nodded my confirmation, and then I was suddenly enveloped by a pair of arms. Hesitantly, since I was still new to _affection_, I hugged her back. With that, Rukia disapeared, and I heard the clang of a trapdoor. There was light, so I was able to lock the trapdoor with several bolts before sitting down on the blanket, resting my still-unsheathed sword next to me.

At first, I tried to listen to the sounds of the war outside, but soon the sounds of the screams of agony and other such unpleasant sounds, I tuned them out. That left me just staring around the room. That was boring. After a while of just leaning on the wall, my eyes started to droop with exhaustion. I welcomed sleep, and drifted of into my slumber.

**Should Chuku have an inner Hollow? Should she go to the spiritual arts ****academy?**


	6. Visions

**Sorry I didn't update sooner! Computer was malfunctioning… Anyway, thanks to everyone that's read this so far, and here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach (the anime, not the product).**

I woke up to find myself in the midst of an all-out war. Hollows against shinigami. I could see Rukia up at the front lines, battling a creature that looked human, but I could tell that they weren't because of their pressure. Her skin was a little grey, and her hair looked to be made up of ash. Her eyes were, however, bright, bloody, red. They were filled with bloodlust as they looked upon my raven-haired friend. Beside Rukia, her brother was surrounded by sixteen Hollows. One Rukia's other side, Renji was fighting three hollows that had, each, about a half of his spiritual pressure. There were ten (other than Rukia's brother) white cloaked shinigami fighting various battles. Each of these captains, I think Rukia's brother called them, were fighting battles with opponents that, in many cases, were more powerful than them. There were a bunch of lesser hollows fighting lesser shinigami, but most of the battle revolved around Rukia, Renji, and the eleven captains.

The hollows were clearly winning, and just then, I noticed there was a battle going on behind me as well. There were ten shinigami, not nearly as powerful as Renji, Rukia, and the rest, but were still pretty powerful. They, too, were losing their battles. As I watched, scores of lesser shingiami fell to join the mounds of bodies below, while the Hollows continued their rampage unharmed.

I tried so hard to move, but I could only turn and watch while shinigami shinigami's numbers dwindled until it was just the eleven captain, Renji, Rukia, and five of the powerful-ish shinigami I inferred were vice captains. The Hollows had only minor loses on their side.

As I watched, a short, black haired captain was beheaded and flung to the ground to join the dead. The numbers were now shinigami 17 to Hollow approximately 23,000.

Rukia held out her sword and shouted "BANKAI!"

She transformed into some kind of ice princess, and all the Hollows suddenly jumped into a black mouth that I remembered my voice saying was a Garaganta.

Then the sight faded to black, and I was engulfed by darkness.

I woke up again, though this time I was in a perfectly blue sky, and the only cloud I could see was the one I was sitting on. When I peered over the side of the cloud, I saw endless forest, broken by lakes and rivers. I was completely alone, and I enjoyed the silence after having heard countless aguish cries of the dying.

When I looked around my cloud again, I saw that there was my sword lying next to me. I am not the type of person that just lies there and does nothing, so I decided to make the most of my solitude and practice my swordsmanship some. So I unsheathed my sword, and for a moment, I saw a vision.

A boy and a girl sat, side by side, reading and exchanging information. They looked _eaxtreamly _alike, both with white hair. The girl's hair was a much purer white, and her eyes were a more light blue. The boy had grey hair, flopping all over the place, and turquoise eyes. I caught snatches of their conversation, which was about complex stuff I didn't really get. They seemed extremely close, teasing each other while reading on about their college-level stuff. They seemed so familiar…

Then the vision changed.

Now there was a woman. She was in the desert that I recognized as the place were the blue-haired man lived. The woman was unearthly beautiful, with pale skin and a thin figure. Her snow white hair fell straight down her back, ending slightly below her hips. She was extremely fit, and gave of the impression that if anybody bothered her, she would stomp on them. Her clothes consisted of a plain white tank top and baggy white sports shorts, which only added to her image of an athlete. She had gloves of white, armored, skin.

She was clearly a creature of death.

Around her lay the bodies of dead shinigami, one wearing a white Haori, and she held a blue sword in her right hand. A man appeared before her, about a head shorter. He had grey hair and turquoise eyes. They were clearly related. He asked her, "Have you found him?" The white haired woman shook her head and sighed. The man hugged her.

Just as I was about to open my mouth, the vision changed again.

It was the same woman as before, exempt this time she looked a lot more healthy. Her skin was a slight bit tanner, and she didn't have the white gloves. She was wearing a white dress, which had a large blue cross on it. She had a large blue, fiery, bow and one hand, and every now and then swung it up to take out a hollow. She knew what she was doing. She even managed to hit her targets when her head whipped around. She must have sensed the same presence I did. A man appeared. He was black haired, blue eyed, and quite handsome.

He called out the woman's name, and I froze. He called out… Chūkū. Last I checked, that was _my_ name. I focused again on the woman's white hair, and almost involuntarily, my hand raised to my own snowy white mane.

Before I could finish this thought, I was brought back to the sky world. This time, my sword was unsheathed, and next to me also lay the blue dude's sword.

I was not alone this time.

**If any of you guys have a power you want Chūkū to have, please review! I already have one, but it's kind of lame…**

**990 WORDS! GAH! My goal was to write a thousand words (at least) per chapter, but I can't write long stuff… (thought with this bit it's 1,017…)**


	7. The Four

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach (the anime, not the product).**

**Albino talking (in Chūkū's head)**

**_Tiger talking (in Chūkū's head)_**

_Ocean Girl talking (in Chūkū's head)_

Quin talking (in Chūkū's head)

**_Chūkū talking in her own head_**

Next to me sat four people. One was an albino version of myself, wearing the shinigami uniform, except it was completely white. She also had black eyes with yellow irises. Another was a blue maned hollow tiger. The third was a woman made completely of blue fire. The fourth was a girl, wearing a blue kimono, and when she met my eyes, I noticed her eyes were blue. Not my kind of blue, blue as in ocean blue. Changing, shifting, wavering.

I just sat there, starring at them, when suddenly the albino broke into a grin. "So, Chūkū, you wanna train?"

We had jumped of the cloud, and landed in the clearing. The blue, fiery, woman introduced herself as Quin. None of the others told me their names. When I asked the albino, she said, "Well, I don't have a name, while ocean girl and tiger won't tell you theirs till you're ready," and then told me to unsheathe both my swords (I called the blue haired dude's mine now, and had sheathed them both and stuck them in my belt up on the cloud) and to attack a nearby tree.

I had, and the swords didn't even make a dent. The albino sighed, taking three sticks from the ground, and threw two at me. "Sheath your swords, and come at me with the sticks."

I did just that, and the albino blocked my hit with ease and, with a twitch, threw me back. "Come on! I'm an evil Hollow that's about to kill Renji, then stab Rukia after throwing Renji's body aside!"

I could tell she meant to provoke me, and it worked. Just imagining Rukia, the only person that had actually spoken to me kindly, being killed by the albino in front of me made me pretty pissed. So, naturally, I attacked the albino. I actually surprised myself by being able to block the albino's counter attack.

We went back and forth, me letting my instincts kick in when I didn't know what to do. After what felt like days of sparring, the albino slipped past my guard and pressed her stick to my throat.

I felt kinda crushed, but my spirits lifted (**A/N: pun intended**) when Quin, tiger, ocean girl, and albino me took me through my moves and showed me how to act differently.

When we had gone through the spar, they made me due multiple exercises that absolutely _killed_ me (**A/N: another pun is intended**).

After a while, though, tiger told me, "It's time for you to wake up. Every night, we will train you in swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and other means of combat. After you have reached a certain level in each of these activities, we will also teach you information very rarely heard. So, train hard, study hard, and soon you will reach a level were _no one_ will be able to hurt those you want to protect. So, wake up now."

I closed my eyes, and as I did so, I heard Ocean girl, with a smooth, soothing voice, say, "It might help to enroll in the shinigami academy."

When I woke up, I was once again in the room. I contemplated the visions, the war, and the four spirits.

**Sup, Chūkū** I heard the Albino say in my head.

**_So, I'm guessing all four of you guys can talking in my head?_** I thought back

**Yep**, was Albino's answer,

**_That is correct_**, was tiger's.

_Yes_, was Ocean Girl's,

We can all communicate with you this way, said Quin, last.

**_That pretty boss_**, was my next comment.

**_That IS pretty boss. NOT that pretty boss_**, was Tiger's, ever proper, correction.

**_Yes, your most excellent majesty_**, I think she could tell I was sarcastic, and I could, I don't know how to explain it, _feel_ that she didn't appreciate the sarcasm.

Just then, the door opened, and I sprang to my feet, unsheathing my sword (my other one wasn't here).

**Chill, it's just Rukia coming to get you out. You probably shouldn't show your other sword, since it belonged in the hand of a hollow, and here, hollows are awful.**

Well, that explained that. I sheathed my sword as I saw Rukia peer through the trapdoor and tell me, "Let's go away from the battlefield."

I didn't reply, only walking over to the ladder, climbing out, and grinning at Rukia while giving her a two fingered salute.

I felt Tiger say, **_How does such a person get landed with all the power? And why, oh why, do _****I****_ have to be stuck with her?_**

I felt annoyance in Albino's answer as she said, **Well, excuse me, but Chūkū is acting the same as me, and technically she ****_is_**** an inverted me, so if you're insulting her then you're insulting ****_me_****. I was here first, anyway.**

Ocean Girl then backed Albino up, saying, _you could just have refused bonding._

And then it was Quin's turn, and she said, Besides, wasn't Grimmjow way more sarcastic, not to mention stupid? At least Chūkū has _brains_, a concept which I think Grimmjow doesn't know about.

Tiger seemed to be beaten into submission. But Albino wasn't done.

**You're just jealous, aren't you? Chūkū has a ****_really _****powerful zanpaktou, a ****_really_**** powerful me, and a ****_really_**** powerful Quin. That is all just hers, not counting the hereditary stuff.**

I had to say, I was pretty astounded. I don't think I was supposed to hear it, though, so I just walked behind Rukia past mounds of bodies.

Rukia and I talked a bit about swords, her telling me about a shinigami's zanpaktou. I really wanted to tell her about the four spirits, but I didn't dare.

After a while, I thought it safe enough to breach a subject I really wanted to talk about.

"Rukia, if I want to be trained in being a shinigami, what do I do?"

Her answer was pretty much what I expected, after hearing Ocean Girl's comment.

"Well, you can go to the shinigami academy." She said.

**_Do you guys mind if I become a shinigami?_**

I think they were all surprised.

**People don't usually **

**have us yet and if they do, **

**they don't ask.**

**But by me, sure.**

_It is alright by me as well._

I guess… It's the best option.

**_Sh..Shinigami…_**

**Oh come ON! Just cause you were merged with a hollow before doesn't mean you ****_still_**** are. Now you're part of Chūkū. Which means you chose what'd be best for Chūkū. Even ****_Quin_**** agrees.**

**_Fine…_**

**So, Chūkū, go ahead and become a shinigami.**

**_Why am I getting a feeling that you're only agreeing because you want to kick ass?_**

**'****Cause I ****_am_**** only agreeing so I can kick ass. Simple as that.**

Turning my consciousness back to Rukia, I asked, "can I become a shinigami?"

**Albino is very protective of Chūkū 'cause she's just like that. She is a cruel, cold blooded killer, but she likes Chūkū.**

**For Tiger, I think she's kind of a stickler for grammar and manners. She is still getting over being separated from Grimmjow, but likes Chūkū. She'll eventually lose her coldness, but she'll stay a teacher and try to keep Chūkū innocent. Which is not easy with Albino around.**

**Quin is kind of Ishida-like. "Calm" but can be ridiculous at times.**

**Ocean Girl is a Byakuya. She cold, smooth, and unemotional. When she's angry, she explodes. She cares greatly for Chūkū, but doesn't show it.**


	8. An Unlikely Occurrence

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach (the anime, not the product).**

**Albino talking (in Chūkū's head)**

**Tiger talking (in Chūkū's head)**

Ocean Girl talking (in Chūkū's head)

Quin talking (in Chūkū's head)

**Chūkū talking in her own head**

Becoming a shinigami isn't so easy.

When I heard "Shinigami academy" I had envisioned something like this; A couple of classes in sword use, but you could stay were you wanted, wear what you wanted. When you got good enough, BAM! You graduate.

But _noooo._

The shinigami academy is a large, modern complex of white washed building, which house the classrooms and _dorms_. I'm not that bothered about sleeping in a dorm, but I know that female dorms mean other females. _Loud, obnoxious, weak_ females. Oh, boy. Why am I not exited?

**But Chūkū, don't ya think it'll be fun? We get to have sparring classes, and beat the shit out of people!**

**_Watch your language around Chūkū, child._**

**FFFFFT! Like I'm a kid! Dude, I'm older than you! ****_Remeber_****?**

**_WILL YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP PLEASE! I'M KINDA TRYING TO MOPE IN PEACE HERE!_**

Three out of the five of us are completely insane.

FOUR_ out of the five of us are insane, Q-diot._

Oh, right. I forgot to mention you in that list.

_I _wasn't_ talking about myself._

**_I FINALLY GET AKEI AND TIGER TO SHUT UP AND THEN YOU TWO START ARGUING! WHAT'S WITH YOU GUYS? You seemed really happy when I visited you…_**

**'…'**

**_'…'_**

'…'

_'…'_

**Sorry… But anyway, I really doubt that you'll be stuck with some others. **

**_Um… Why?_**

_Because Rukia probably asked for you not to be._

**You're gonna be lonely.**

I think it took a while for Akei to realize the irony in that statement.

**A-Akei?**

**_Do you like it?_**

**Yeah…**

So, that was kind of off topic. My first day of actual classes, after I had been adopted and settled into my dormitory room:

I was in my room, examining myself in the floor length mirror. I still looked ten years old. My white hair and blue eyes did _not _match the red of my uniform. I looked so _young_. I definitely didn't feel young.

With a sigh, I stopped trying to rearrange my hair, and simply let it hang lose to my waist. At least it was clean, though it didn't lay beautifully on my shoulders or anything like that.

I then bent to pick up a paper on my desk. It was my schedule. At the top of the Monday column, it said 'Class A' building two floor two room 208. I had no idea were that was, but I _did_ know were the stairs were. And I also knew that I was in building one. So, all I had to do was go to floor one, cross the courtyard, walk into building two, and go to floor two! After that, I would just have to follow the numbers until I got were I wanted to.

Not so easy in practice. I got to floor two of building two successfully, but it took a _long_ time of shoving and yelling. I'm a kid, so I'm ignored. When I got to class 208, I was glad to see I was not the first, or last, to arrive.

When I walked into the classroom, a wave of murmurs swept through the already assembled students. I walked up to the teacher, a small, blond haired woman with bright pink eyes that seemed to glow.

"Sensei, is there an assigned seat at which I should sit at?" I asked. The teacher looked a bit shocked.

"I don't think you're supposed to be here …?" she said, asking my name and telling me to get out in one sentence. I should use that with either Ocean Girl or Tiger…

_That-_

**_will-_**

_not-_

**_happen._**

Or maybe not… Rukia told me that something of this sort might be asked, and had told me the appropriate answer.

"I am Chūkū," I replied. I then whipped out my schedule and pointed at the box that said 'Class A'.

The teacher shook her head, as if reprimanding herself from being so cold, and gestured at the seats, saying as she did so, "You can sit anywhere you want."

I chose a seat near the back, an instinct telling me that Akei was going to make fun of my teacher, and I didn't want my new sensei seeing me laughing at her.

I whiled away the half hour until class started talking to Akei, Ocean Girl (which I'm now starting to call OJ, because it fits her), Tiger, and Quin.

When the class finally started, sensei started a long speech.

"Hello, class! My name is Hirako Kajin, and I am your homeroom teacher. All of you, be proud, because you are in the advanced class. This is the class that most of the vice captains and captains come from, and generally, you guys are the most powerful in the school. I'm not saying the other classes aren't special, it's just that they aren't _that _powerful.

Your first class is the art of the sword. Before you go off to that, I am going to call roll. Please stand up when your name is called."

She called names, seemingly at random, and definitely not alphabetically.

"Ukitake Usana." a white haired girl stood up. She already had friends, and I could tell by the murmurs that one of her parents was important.

The teacher went on down a long list of names, not even pausing at the noble's names. She did pause, however, at two names.

"Kurosaki Karin and Kurosaki Yuzu?" A popular name I knew. Rukia had told me a little of seretei's history, and the carrot head that saved the place a _lot _of times.

Everybody was craning to get a look at the irritable looking raven haired girl, and her kind, gentle, sister next to her.

They were the two seats on my left. As the teacher continued on with the roll call, I extended my hand to them and said, "I'm Chūkū. Rukia told me about your brother."

The two girls perked at the sound of Rukia's name. The blond one, Yuzu I think, exclaimed, "You know Rukia-nee?"

I was kept from answering when my name was called. As I stood, my white hair and lack of a last name caused whispers to spread like wildfire.

For the rest of the roll, Yuzu and I chatted a bit about what we knew about Rukia. Karin didn't speak.

After a very long century of homeroom, we could go of to our first class. The teacher was waiting for us when we got there.

The teacher was a man. Black hair, green eyes, and a friendly demeanor. The first thing he did when we filed into his class was talk.

"Hello class! This is the class were we learn how to use a sword! First, I want to tell you all what a zanpaktou is. A zanpaktou spirit is a part of your soul that is your power, and when you learn the name of your zanpaktou you will be able to activate something called _shikai_. Shikai lets you use your zanptaktou spirit's powers. Your zanpaktou _is your comrade_! They are not some tool for you to use! They are beings with consciousnesses of their own!"

He continued to rant, but I zoned out.

**_So, OJ, Tiger, you two are my zanpaktou?_**

**_Why am I not surprised you guessed?_**

_Because we made it too easy for her._

After _another_ century of waiting, the teacher decided to pass out wooden swords. He then started _another_ speech.

"This class, we will have each of you spar each other, to see who needs to learn what. Please sit around the floor, and walk onto the floor to begin your spar when I call your name."

Then, he shut up.

He called out names, and the people called would fight the victor of the previous spar. Akei kept a running commentary, pointing out the things I should and shouldn't do. OJ and Tiger contributed to, sometimes. Quin just stayed quiet.

Karin was one of the first called, and beat everyone. It was then my turn.

* * *

(Yuzu POV)

Karin is really good at fighting. She had this aura of sadness, and determination to win everything.

She stayed as the victor for a long time, and I didn't really pay attention to the number of victories.

She was currently fighting a pink haired boy. I snuck a glance at Chūkū. There was something about her, a feel of power, that made me think that Karin's match with her would be very interesting.

As if the teacher read my thoughts, he called out Chūkū's name after Karin's maimed opponent limped of the 'battlefield'.

Chūkū took the wooden sword and walked up to Karin without hesitation. On the teacher's call, she settled in the ready position, and then the fight began.

All of Karin's other opponents attacked first. Chūkū didn't. She had analyzed Karin, and now guessed what she'd do.

So both of them just circled each other, neither taking their eyes of the other. Chūkū had her sword loosely gripped in her hand. She was relaxed, but ready to move at any movement. Karin made a quick overhead swing, and Chūkū's sword raised to deflect it. She then delivered a counter attack aimed at Karin's ribs, and Karin blocked it.

They went on like that for several minutes, until Chūkū's eyes suddenly flashed. She took her left hand of her sword, and attacked only with her right. After she got used to that, she suddenly karate chopped Karin's head. Karin jumped back, surprised at the hand to hand combat. She then mirrored Chūkū and took one hand of her sword. She then jumped back towards Chūkū.

The fight progressed in Chūkū's favor after that. Karin used the technique Chūkū did well, but couldn't do the multiple attacks Chūkū could. After a while, Chūkū flipped over Karin, delivering a kick to Karin's back. Karin turned with superhuman speed and dodged. After that, the fight became a lot faster. Chūkū was still winning, and was wearing Karin down.

After a long exchange of blows, Chūkū slipped past Karin's guard and pressed her sword to her neck. I saw Chūkū's lips moving, but couldn't tell what she was saying. Karin only grinned in response, then murmured something back. Chūkū laughed.

Then, the three of us went on to our next class, charing and laughing. We had found a friend.

**Guess Tiger's power. **

**If you get it right, warning you, I'm going to change the name.**

**FINALY! Iv'e been wanting to write the next part for a while now… AND NOW I CAN WRITE IT! (falls to the ground laughing maniacally)**


	9. The Return of the Queen

**Chūkū just woke up from a dream in the beginning of this one. It's about three months since she started the shinigami academy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach (the anime, not the product).**

(Chūkū POV)

"To-shiro…" That name…

I could sense him… I could sense my twin.

Memories came crashing down on me.

Human… Vasto Lorde… Quincy…

I had to get to Toshiro.

Now.

Or he was going to die.

* * *

(Rukia POV)

The hollows just kept coming. We had been fighting nonstop for the past three months. Our numbers decreased until we had about twenty people left alive. Four vice captains dead and two captains. No seated officers or unseated officers remained. Renji, Ni-sama and I were on the list of the alive ones. Squad two had no captain and no vice captain, so Yourichi was taking charge of it. At that time I was on the front lines, keeping the lesser hollows from attacking Hitsugaya Taicho while he battled the captain of the bunch. Which was a Vasto Lorde.

I sensed a familiar spiritual pressure, and cursed Chūkū for coming so close to the battle. What was worse, she was headed straight towards us. I couldn't shunpo and take her back to the school, which was one of the few safe places left, or Hitsugaya Taicho would be overrun. I think Hitsugaya Taicho felt her too, and stiffened. He was probably annoyed that another person was coming to get under his feet.

He seemed like he couldn't believe it, though. Not like he was annoyed. He slowly turned, and I wanted to curse him for giving up like that. The Vasto Lorde made a move to stab Hitsugaya Taicho through the heart, but his blade only bounced of the captain's shoulder. Without even turning around, Hitsugaya Taicho flicked his wrist, causing his blade to cut the Vasto Lorde in half.

I saw Chūkū appear in front of him, and for a moment, the two of them just stared at each other.

* * *

(Toshiro POV)

Chūkū was standing right in front of me, with her usual trademark grin and cocky eyebrow.

She then asked me a question, "Oi, Tosh, mind if I hug you? You'll probably change, and remember a bunch of stuff you'd rather you wouldn't. You're reiatsu will probably change, too, and you'll have an inner Hollow for sure. Though you will grow up…"

Even though she was still grinning, her voice had a serious tone, telling me that it wasn't something to be taken lightly. I didn't really care. I nodded to show my consent.

She said something that made me pause, "If you commit suicide again, Tosh, I might go mad and obliterate this place. So, don't die on me, ok?"

The way she said that, softly and sadly, yet with steel underneath, made me hug her.

I let go as I felt pain. My head… It was splitting into pieces… My bones were fracturing… I cracked open my eyes and saw Chūkū.

_Flashback_

_"__CHŪKŪ WHERE ARE YOU?!" I heard a voice bellow. Around the corner of our icy, watery palace skidded a man with bright blue hair and terrified blue eyes. Grimmjow. He hadn't decided wether to keep Jaggerjacks as his last name, or change it to Hitsugaya. Chūkū's name was staying Hitsugaya, though._

_"__I have no idea, Grimmjow. What's the problem this time?" I asked._

_"__How the fuck do you get Raja to calm down?!"_

_"__You've been a dad for, like, two hundred years and you still don't know how to get kids to calm down? Anyway, don't ask me. I'm not a dad. Chūkū is in the throne room."_

_Grimmjow groaned. When Chūkū was in the throne room, she didn't like her husband barging in asking questions about their kids._

_It would ruin her image._

_Flashback end_

He saw Chūkū above him. She was so many things…

The queen of Hueco Mundo.

The most powerful Vasto Lorde in existence.

The one that doubted God and said everything came from evolution (and was almost killed because of it).

And, most of all, she was my twin sister.

* * *

(Rukia POV)

The way that Hitsugaya Taicho killed the Vasto Lorde was amazing. _He had such hidden power, but never showed it?_

What was more confusing was the way Chūkū talked to Hitsugaya Taicho. As if they were good friends. As if they were _siblings_. It was definitely possible. They both shared white hair. Looking at them, I could tell they knew each other.

Right after I was starting to recover from my shock, Hitsugaya Taicho hugged Chūkū. Both of them changed.

Hitsugaya Taicho grew taller. His features became sharp, defined, handsome. _Did I really just think that?!_

My eyes were then drawn to my little white haired friend. My breath caught in my throat. The adult form of, I guessed, Chūkū, was amazing. She had pale skin, not pale enough to be sickly, but still pale. Her hair was lose, falling to her waist and gently swaying with the breeze. A pale dress fell over her shoulders. She had two swords in her belt, both blue hilted, but with different designs.

On her head, she had a pale, icy crown.

The almost-dead Vasto Lorde Hitsugaya Taicho had attacked, croaked, "Hail, most magnificent queen of Hueco Mundo, giver of peace, unstoppable in battle," and then promptly died.

Chūkū turned towards Hitsugaya Taicho (**A/N: I think I can type "Hitsugaya Taicho on any random keyboard by now…**). She helped him to his feet, then turned towards me.

I saw in her eyes wisdom. Experience. Sadness. Grief. Majesty. Nobility. I managed to find the strength to ask her, "Queen of Hueco Mundo?"

It was Hitsugaya Taicho who replied, "My dear twin, commander of all Arancar and Hollow armies, Queen of Huco Mundo, who died before Aizen came along."

Chūkū didn't seem all that interested in what Hitsugaya Taicho — her twin? — had said. She simply muttered four words that perked my interest.

"Where is my husband?"

* * *

Guess who Chūkū's husband is. The answer is _really _hard to find, believe me. (That last sentence was said with complete sarcasm). Anyway, I read my story, and I've realized my writing is actually kind of crappy. I'll try to make it better, but I can't make any promises.

Also, I'm sorry for not replying to your replies (Irony. MUAHAHAHA!). I just don't know what to say. Thank you, though, to everyone that's read this so far. It means so much to me (teary sniffle).

All of the characters are going to be a little OOC. At the beginning of the next chapter, I'll make a whole Dead and Alive chart so you know who's dead and who isn't. If you have a grudge against a captain (or vice captain and any other character that actually shows up in Bleach), I'll add them to the "dead" list.

1120 WORDS! SCORE!

Thank you!


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